sr.902-ia-7858-2026.doc IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION INTERIM APPLICATION NO. 7858 OF 2026 IN WRIT PETITION NO. 11584 OF 2026 Balasubramanian Parandhaman .. Intervenor/Applicant In the Matter Between Paramanandhan Balasubramanian .. Petitioner Versus The State of Maharashtra & Ors. .. Respondents Adv. Yuvraj Narvankar a/w Adv. Raufa Shaikh & Adv. Kshitij Munj for the Applicant in IA/7858/2026. Adv. Nitin Gaware Patil a/w Adv. Shivkumar S. Jangwad for Petitioner. Mr. O.A. Chandurkar, Addl. G.P a/w Ms. Priyanka B. Chavan, AGP for State. CORAM: R.I. CHAGLA & FIRDOSH P. POONIWALLA, JJ. DATE: OCTOBER 7, 2026 P. C. 1. By this Interim Application, the Applicant has sought intervention in captioned Writ Petition No. 11584 of 2026 and to be impleaded as proposed Respondent No.6 and to be heard in the proceedings. OCTOBER 7, 2026 Mansi shelke MANSI DHANANJAY SHELKE Digitally signed by MANSI DHANANJAY SHELKE Date: 2026.10.09 19:09:32 +0530 sr.902-ia-7858-2026.doc Further prayer is sought for recall of the Order dated 8th September, 2026 passed in the captioned Writ Petition and to clarify that the judicial arrangement stipulated by the Order dated 21st November, 2025 passed in Writ Petition No. 15152 of 2025 shall continue to operate and remain in force and is not affected, altered, or superseded by the Order dated 8th September, 2026 and/or by the appointment of the Board of Administrators. 2. The interim Application has been moved by Mr. Narvankar, learned counsel appearing for the Applicant. It is his submission that in the Writ Petition, in which the Orders dated 2nd September, 2026 and 8th September, 2026 were passed, the Applicant was not joined as a party Respondent. This is inspite of the Applicant being a Founder Trustee and Authorised Co-signatory of Respondent No. 5 - Sri Balaji Society (“the said Trust”). He has, in particular, referred to the Minutes of the Order dated 21 st November, 2025, passed by the Division Bench of this Court wherein the Applicant, along with Petitioner No.1 (Mr. Paramanandhan Balasubramanian) and Ms. Thilagavathy Balasubramanian had consented to jointly operate all bank accounts of the said Trust. Further, they had consented not to take any policy decision for the said Trust without the prior sanction of the Joint Charity Commissioner, Pune. They had also consented to carry out the day to day expenses for the smooth and uninterrupted OCTOBER 7, 2026 Mansi shelke sr.902-ia-7858-2026.doc functioning of the said Trust. Further, it was agreed that no payments above the sum of Rs.10,00,000/- are to be carried out without the prior sanction of the Joint Charity Commissioner. He further referred to paragraph 9 of the said Order, wherein it was made clear by this Court that the Petition was restricted only to the challenge to the Order in relation to operation of bank accounts and managing of day to day affairs of the said Trust and this Court had not gone into the merits of the challenge to that part of the impugned Judgement and Order which directed the Inspector from the office of Joint Charity Commissioner, Pune to conduct an inquiry against the Petitioners. The Petitioners were granted liberty to file separate Petitions to challenge the same. 3. Mr. Narvankar has submitted that, in spite of the said Order dated 21st November, 2025, the Board of Administrators, who have been appointed by the Order dated 8th September, 2026, passed by this Court, which the Applicant seeks recall of, have addressed a communication dated 6th October, 2026, wherein they have sought to interfere in the administrative and financial affairs of the said Trust by seeking urgent payments which they claim have been submitted by the University office to the Administrative Committee and which, inter alia, include certain vendor payments, a schedule of which has been annexed to the letter dated 6th October, 2026. Mr. Page 3 of 12 OCTOBER 7, 2026 Mansi shelke sr.902-ia-7858-2026.doc Narvankar has also referred to communication dated 30th September, 2026 addressed by the Section Officer of the Respondent State to the Secretary of the University wherein reference is made to the Board of Administrators, and it is stated that they are in charge of the financial and administrative functioning of the university. He submitted that this is contrary to a bare reading of the said Orders dated 2nd September, 2026 and 8th September, 2026. 4. Mr. Narvankar submitted that this Court had taken a note of the fact that the convocation was being held for the students and for which there was no one in management of the University in view of the term of the Vice- Chancellor and Registrar of Respondent No. 4 University having come to an end. It is in this context that the said Orders dated 2nd September, 2026 and 8th September 2026 have been passed for the purpose of the convocation of 1,613 students who had appeared for the examination for previous academic year 2025-2026. These Orders had been passed for a limited purpose and in the interest of the students of Respondent No. 4 University, in order that their convocation may be conducted smoothly. 5. Mr. Narvankar submitted that the Board of Administrators, by interfering with the administrative and financial affairs of Respondent No. 4 OCTOBER 7, 2026 Mansi shelke sr.902-ia-7858-2026.doc University, are affecting the rights of the Applicant in managing the financial affairs of the Trust. He further submitted that this runs contrary to and is in violation of the Order dated 21st November, 2025 passed by this Court. He accordingly sought for recall of the order dated 8th September, 2026 which had appointed the Board of Administrators. He submitted that the Applicant is open to the Vice-Chancellor of Respondent No. 4 University, whose term has come to an end, continuing for the purpose of conducting the convocation of the students of Respondent No. 4 University. 6. Mr. Narvankar has referred to an Interim Application (ST) No. 19231 of 2026 which had been taken out in Writ Petition No. 15152 of 2025 by the erstwhile Vice-Chancellor of Respondent No. 4 University, namely, Dr. Gangadhar Kashinath Shirude, which sought for appointment of an Administrator/Committee of Administrators for the said Trust viz., Sri Balaji Society, claiming mis-management in the financial affairs of the said Trust. He submitted that this Interim Application had not been brought to the notice of this Court when the said Orders were passed, and the Board of Administrators have been appointed by the said Orders. 7. Mr. Narvankar has accordingly sought for either recall of the Order dated 8th September 2026 or for a clarification that the Order dated 8th OCTOBER 7, 2026 Mansi shelke sr.902-ia-7858-2026.doc September, 2026 is merely for the holding of convocation by Respondent No. 4 University and cannot come in the way of the Order dated 21st November, 2025 passed in Writ Petition No. 15152 of 2025 by this Court. 8. Mr. Patil, the learned counsel appearing for the original Petitioner in the captioned Writ Petition, has supported the Orders dated 2nd September, 2026 and 8th September, 2026 passed by this Court. He submitted that these Orders have in no way diluted the Order dated 21st November, 2025 passed by this Court in Writ Petition No. 15152 of 2025. He submitted that this Court, being mindful of the fact that the term of the Vice- Chancellor, and Registrar of the University having come to an end, has appointed the Board of Administrators for the management of the Respondent No. 4 University till the posts of the President, Vice-Chancellor and Registrar of the University are filled. He submitted that the Writ Petition has been moved seeking appropriate directions with regard to taking immediate and time bound steps in accordance with the Maharashtra Private Universities (Establishment and Regulation) Act, 2013 (“the said Act”), for appointment of Vice-Chancellor and Registrar of Respondent No. 4 University. It was specifically pointed out to this Court that there was urgent requirement for management of Respondent No. 4 University in view of the fact that, in academic year 2026-27, there are 3,716 students and students OCTOBER 7, 2026 Mansi shelke sr.902-ia-7858-2026.doc eligible for convocation are 1613. The convocation was required to be held within 180 days of the date/s by which students are expected to qualify and become eligible for them. This is as per University Grants Commission (UGC) Notice dated 19th June, 2024. Thus, the convocation was required to be held in a short period of time and for which there was no one in management of Respondent No. 4 University. It is in this context and upon a statement being made by the Respondent State that it is necessary for organising the convocation ceremony of Respondent No. 4 University for academic year 2025-26 that a Board of Administrators be appointed for functioning of the University, that, this Court appointed the Board of Administrators. 9. Mr. Patil has further pointed out that there are various grievances which have been addressed by the students of Respondent No. 4 University, and for which he has placed reliance upon a communication dated 27th July, 2026, addressed to the trustees of the said Trust. He submitted that, in view of the difficulties faced by the students, which are required to be taken care of, the Board of Administrators was appointed by this Court. 10. Mr. Patil further submitted that in so far as the Order dated 21 st November, 2025 passed by this Court in Writ Petition No. 15152 of 2025 is OCTOBER 7, 2026 Mansi shelke sr.902-ia-7858-2026.doc concerned, the said Orders dated 2nd September, 2026 and 8th September, 2026 do not in any way dilute the said Order as the said Order dated 21st November, 2025 is with regard to the financial affairs of the Trust and management in respect thereof. He submitted that the Trust is accordingly being managed in terms of the Minutes of the Order dated 21 st November, 2025 and that the correspondence relied upon by the Applicant dated 6th October, 2026 is only pertaining to the day to day functioning of the University and in so far as, the financial affairs are concerned, the same are to be addressed in terms of the said Order dated 21st November, 2025. 11. Mr. Patil has accordingly sought for the dismissal of the present Interim Application. 12. Having considered the submissions, we are mindful of the fact that the Intervenor/Applicant had not been made a party Respondent to the captioned Writ Petition, in spite of the Applicant being the Founder Trustee of the said Trust, viz, Sri Balaji Society. Further, this Court by the Order dated 21st November, 2025 in Writ Petition No. 15152 of 2025 having been filed by the present Petitioner, in which the Applicant is Respondent No. 2, Minutes of the Order have been entered into by virtue of which the present Petitioner, the Applicant and their mother Mrs. Thilagavathy OCTOBER 7, 2026 Mansi shelke sr.902-ia-7858-2026.doc Balasubramanian consented that they would be jointly authorised to operate all bank accounts of the said Trust. They were not to take any policy decision for the said Trust without the prior sanction of the Charity Commissioner and they were directed to carry out the day to day expenses for smooth and uninterrupted functioning of the said Trust. Further, no payments above the sum of Rs. 10,00,000/- were to be made without the prior sanction of the Joint Charity Commissioner. It was further made clear by this Court in the said Order that the Petition was restricted only to the challenge to the Order in relation to the operation of the bank accounts and management of day to day affairs of the Trust. 13. We are of the view that the Applicant should have been made a party Respondent in the captioned Writ Petition and was required to be heard in these proceedings. 14. In so far as recall of the Order dated 8th September, 2026 which has been prayed for in the above Interim Application is concerned, we find no merit in the same. It is clear from the Order dated 2nd September, 2026 that this Court was considering a situation where the management of Respondent No. 4 University was urgently required in view of the number of students, viz, 3,716 students, having been admitted in academic year 2026-27, and OCTOBER 7, 2026 Mansi shelke sr.902-ia-7858-2026.doc students eligible for convocation being 1,613, and the term of the Vice- Chancellor and Registrar had come to an end and there was no provision in the said Act for their continuation. The further fact which weighed with this Court was that the convocation for the students who had taken the examination for the previous academic year 2025-26 was required to be conducted shortly in view of the UGC notice dated 19th June, 2024, which provided that the degree award date/s shall be within 180 days of the date/s by which the students qualify and become eligible for that. 15. It is in these circumstances that the said Orders including Order dated 8th September, 2026 had been passed, whereby the Board of Administrators have been appointed for the functioning of Respondent No. 4 University, aimed towards organising the convocation ceremony of the University which, as aforesaid, is to be held shortly. The Respondent State had provided the names of the persons who may be appointed on the Board of Administrators. These persons, accordingly, were appointed on the Board of Administrators to manage Respondent No. 4 University. 16. We have considered the submission of Mr. Narvankar that the Board of Administrators appointed by this Court are interfering in the financial affairs of the said Trust, in violation of the Order dated 21st OCTOBER 7, 2026 Mansi shelke sr.902-ia-7858-2026.doc November, 2025 passed by this Court. Reliance has also been placed on the communication dated 30th September, 2026 addressed by the Section Officer of Maharashtra State to the Secretary of the said Trust, wherein reference is made to the said Order dated 8th September, 2026 and the appointment of the Board of Administrators and it is stated that they shall be in charge of the management of the University as well as the financial affairs of the University. We are of the considered view that the said communication dated 30th September, 2026 addressed by the Respondent State’s Section Officer is not in conformity with the Order dated 21st November, 2025 passed by this Court in Writ Petition No. 15152 of 2025 as the financial affairs of the said Trust which is the sponsoring body of the Respondent No. 4 University is to be managed in accordance with the said Minutes of Order dated 21st November 2025 by the Applicant, the present Petitioner and their mother, Mrs. Thilagavathy Balasubramanian. Thilagavathy Balasubramanian. Accordingly, we modify the said Order dated 8th September, 2026 to the extent that the Board of Administrators appointed vide the said Order is merely for the organisation and holding of the convocation ceremony for Respondent No. 4 University for academic year 2025-26 and for the functioning of the Respondent No.4 University, for that purpose, till the said convocation ceremony is held. Page 11 of 12 OCTOBER 7, 2026 Mansi shelke sr.902-ia-7858-2026.doc 17. It will be open for the Petitioner to file appropriate proceedings in so far as the management of the said Trust is concerned. Further, the Board of Administrators shall not in any manner interfere in the running of the said Trust which shall be in accordance with the said Minutes of Order dated 21st November, 2025. We have borne in mind whilst passing this Order that there is already an Interim Application which has been taken out in Writ Petition No. 15152 of 2025, by the erstwhile Vice-Chancellor of Respondent Nos. 4 and 5 University, which is pending before the appropriate Bench of this Court, seeking appointment of an Administrator/ Committee of Administrators for the said Trust. 18. The Interim Application is accordingly disposed of in the above terms. There shall be no order as to costs. [FIRDOSH P. POONIWALLA, J.] [R. I. CHAGLA, J.] OCTOBER 7, 2026 Mansi shelke